it gives men a peculiar advantage for serioufnefs. The fweet and gentle difpofition, as it expofes to more hazard from the impreffions of ill company and feducing finners, fo it gives a truly good man no small advantage above his neighbours, for recommending religion to those with whom he converfes: fuch a man is well heard by every body. The knowledge then of our own spirits in this refpect, as to the predominant natural temper to which the body difpofes, is well worth our cultivating.

2. What particular principles and ends govern us, in the particular motions of our fpirits and actions of life; whether we act from a good or a bad principle, and whether the ends we propofe to ourselves be right. The moral nature of actions in the fight of God prin cipally depends upon this, An unlawful action indeed will not be juftified by a man's having a good end in it, as long as he hath fufficient opportunity to know that it is forbidden; for we muft not do evil that good may come," Rom. iii. 8. Yet an action, ever fo good for the matter of it, lofes all its value in God's account, who fearches the heart and tries the reins," if it proceeds from a bad principle, or is intended to ferve a finful or unworthy purpofe. The fame outward act may proceed from very different and contrary fprings; of which the cafe in the text is an inftance. A feeming expreffion of love to Chrift, of zeal for the true religion, may be animated by no better principle than unchriftian refentment, and animofity and revenge; or at least there may be fuch a mixture of this

bad

And

bad principle with a better, as fpoils the performance. Chrift intimates, that men may faft and pray, and give alms, and all upon fo low a view, as merely to be feen of men; but then plainly tells us, that they will lofe their reward from God, Mat. vi. 2, 5, 16. the Apostle intimates it to be poffible for a man to beflow all his goods to feed the poor, (the greatest inftance in outward appearance of love to men) and to give his body to be burned, i. e. as a martyr, the higheft proof, one would think, of love to God; and yet to have no charity; to be animated to fuch glaring actions by no true principle either of love to God or man, 1 Cor. xiii. 3.Solomon tells us, Prov. xxi. 23. "The facri fice of the wicked is an abomination"; i. e. God will not accept the facrifices, the appearances of religious regard to him, that are of fered up by a man who refolvedly goes on in a finful courfe; he adds, " How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind" PHow much more abominable muft his facrifice be, when that itself is profaned and poisoned by a vicious intention? when the all-feeing God, fuppofe, knows that a man offers it, either only to quiet confcience in other evilpractices, or to enable him the more easily to impose upon his neighbour, by wearing the mask of religion? It is therefore a matter of the utmost confequence that we "take heed to our fpirit", in every action we perform, Mal. ii. 16. that we "keep our heart with all diligence," Prov. iv. 23. that we be well affured, that the feveral deliberate steps we take, be

agree,

A

agreeable to the dictates of a good fpirit; and that that which is indisputably good in itself, be done upon right principles, and for right ends: and fo we may know what spirit we are of 3. What is the prevailing and predominant difpofition of our fouls; whether the christian temper, or that which is opposite to it. The laft inquiry is necellary to our paffing a due judgment upon particular actions; and this to determine our ftate. The best natural temper is ftill but depraved nature; and the worst, if rectified by grace, is in the way of cure, and that cure will be more and more advanced, till it arrive at the perfection of the fpirits of just men above. Every man then is moft highly concerned to know what that spirit is which makes his character; whether a holy and a heavenly temper has the ascendant in him, or a finful and an earthly mind: or, in other words, whether he is "led by the holy Spirit" of God, as true Chriftians are, Rom. viii. 9. 14. or by "the spirit that worketh in the children of difobedience," Eph. ii. 2. These amount to the fame thing; for wherever there is a holy bent and turn of foul, the Scripture teaches us to afcribe it to the gracious agency of the Spi-. rit of God and on the other hand, all who are under the guidance of the holy Spirit,. have their own fpirits prevailingly recovered to the chriftian temper. We are We are therefore concerned carefully to fearch, the word of God, for the defcription given there of the christian temper, and of that which is oppofate to it; and then diligently to " prove our

own

own felves," as the Apostle directs, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. that we may difcern which of these fpirits we are of. The Scripture fometimes represents these different difpofitions by way of fummary: We have a very comprehensive one in Gal. v. 19-23. "The works of the flesh are manifeft; adultery, fornication, uncleannefs, lacivioufnefs, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, varience, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders, drunkennefs, revellings, and fuch like: but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance"; and what follows, ver. 24. "crucifying the flesh, with its affections and lufts." So St. Peter gives us a fpecimen what it is to be partakers of a divine nature; namely, to partake of "faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, charity"; in which therefore he preffes Chriftians to improve, 2 Pet. k 4-7. But as these fummaries are not defigned to reckon up all the branches; so we must confider the feveral graces mentioned in various parts of Scripture as going to make up the chriftian fpirit. intend to affift you in this view, by a distinct confideration of the descriptions of a good fpirit given in fcripture, either in its general nature, or particu-lar branches. It will lie upon you to prove your own felves, as we go along, that you. may behold your true face in the glass of the Gospel. At present I go on to fhew,

II. The ufefulnefs and neceffity of knowing what spirit we are of,

C &

*. As

1. As we are reasonable creatures, the knowledge of ourselves is the most near and immediate concern we have. "Nofce teipfum, Know thyself," was the celebrated oracle of old among the heathens: and, "Know ye not your own felves?" is a very strong expoftulation of the Apoftle with Chriftians. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. No other part of knowledge for certain can be of fuch moment to us, as that which relates to ourselves the moft careful inquiries about other things, if this be neglected, are no better than a bufy idlenefs; or an application to that, which, though it may find our minds full employment, yet is nothing to our purpose. A man who can readily tell you the fituation of places, and the ftate of things in diftant lands, while he is a ftranger to the nature, the hiftory, and the interests of his native country, would juftly be thought to have ill employed his pains or he who bufies himself in the affairs of other men, and at the fame time neglects his own. He is guilty of equal folly, who takes pains to come at the knowledge of things foreign to him, but contentedly remains ignorant of himfelf. And no part of the knowledge of ourfelves is fo neceffary, as the knowledge of our fpirits, which are the principle part of ourselves. The power of reflection is laid in our natures for this very purpose, that we should look into ourfelves; and it fhould immediately, in the ufe of i, turn upon ourselves: for without Telf-acquaintance, it is given us in vain.

2. As we are profeffed Chriftians, nothing defertes.